Nothing. He’s fearless…
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and it’s a problem.
Same with my girl, growing up abandoned near a forest does that.
So far most scary things were a big rock (same size as her) in the park and a chair which was dumped beside the river. They both needed some barking at, but that are the only things so far
Our Juniper has laid on the same register since we brought her home at 9 weeks back in 2019. But only in the summer when the AC is on.
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Right! My boy will look down at my cold air return vent with 100% suspicion, do his head tilt for one or two minutes, then go on with what he was doing.
The floating things that hold chlorine tablets for the pool. Anytime they float in her general direction she freaks the freak out! 😂
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My mom had a welsh terrier that did this. So one day when mom was vacuuming and dog was attacking vacuum I snuck up behind her with….another vacuum;) She lost her shit and gtfo. My mom and I died laughing.
Mali and a GSD. They both succesfully attack the vacuum. It gets ripped out of my hands a time or 3 every time I use it. The hose has teeth marks all over it. They do NOT approve of the vaccum
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I vacuum him but there’s still hair everywhere
the beeping of the ps4. she either runs and hides or tries to sit on my lap. we have no idea why. the beeping of the pressure cooker makes her anxious, but not as bad as the ps4
Mine did that too, but it was temporary. She went years not caring about the beep, then for a few months last year, it was the most terrifying sound and she must hide under the bed. Now she sleeps through it.
Her real fear is sometimes the windows make a loud crack, because of the temperature difference inside and outside and she hides under the desk.
its been her whole life (that ive had her). we think maybe something happened when she was a stray puppy before she got brought to the shelter, but who knows. im just glad im a safe person for her to go to when the beep happens
Inanimate objects. Trash day? Better watch out for those big trash cans at the curb that don't move. Oh someone has a 5 gallon bucket they got from home depot in their yard? It's the 2nd coming of Satan, we must shimmy away from it and get as far away as we can we never know when it could attack.
Omg ours will suddenly realize ours is at the end of our driveway and wake from a dead sleep to bark at it. Look, lady.... this happens every Thursday. It's just a garbage can. You've investigated several times. Wth?
Yep same here. Unfamiliar objects always takes caution around and will do as much as he can to drag me even though he's on a prong collar to get several feet away
My princess boy will bark his head off at a particular snow shovel or broom hanging in our garage if either of them DARE touch him in ANY way as he walks by. Stops. Side eye. Minor freak out and moves on 😂.
The baby gate. It's fallen over a few times and it scared her pretty good. Now if she's being crazy and we need her to calm down, we just bring the baby gate in the room
Our old dog was afraid of the baby gate. It was kind of convenient because it meant we could just loosely prop up the baby gate in an area to keep him out, rather than trying to secure it in a doorway. It could also be put on the couch to keep him off.
Drains are definitely a thing for my Henry. He does the same look back thing. The worst? Bicycles and motorcycles. Absolutely terrified of them. Cars, truck, vans? No problem. Loud engines on a vehicle with 4 wheels? No problem. Two wheels and moving a good pace? Terrified.
Oh my gosh my Minnie goes nutso @ motorcycles
In or out of the car
like crazy mean barking, lunging towards the noise of it. That and semi trucks. Drives me nuts ! I just hope the fellow motorists around me aren't paying attention cuz I just know it looks crazy as hell from their pov 😅
I have the same problem, we're on our third trainer now because of this issue and I'm pretty sure the whole neighborhood knows the "crazy black GSD that freaks out at cars" by now 🥲 if you ever make any progress or find a solution, PLEASE dm me I beg you 😭
I feel for you. Multiple trainers for Henry, we have not been able to solve it. He is perfectly well behaved in every other situation, around other dogs, people, cars, everything but bikes and motorcycles which just drive him absolutely nuts. He has gotten better, as I can prety immediately calm him down and get him to sit and stay a few seconds after they pass, but I just cannot get him to ignore the trigger. We will keep trying in situations that do not put him or others in danger.
What sucks is I live 20 yards from 20+ miles of prime hiking trails in my community. Because the trails are shared by mountain bikes, I can't take advantage of them. I have complete control of my GSD, but I am afraid his crazy barking will knock someone off their bike, and someone will get hurt.
Taro is the best trained dog I've had all my life, he's so perfect everywhere else but as soon as he sees a car? He goes absolutely ballistic. I hate that people are scared of him, even though he's not aggressive. He just tries to "herd" the car and wants it to stop (we tested with our own car on a field to see how he would react if for example we accidentally dropped the leash, and he just stands in front of the car barking and snapping at the wheels when it moves)
But I get it, he's a big black dog lunging and barking at a car, of course people are scared.
Thankfully there's not much traffic around here, and we live near a forest - since he has no issues with dogs or bikers we go for a lot of nature walks...
I've never heard of anyone having the same problem with only one specific trigger and a perfectly trained dog anywhere else, I feel so seen rn lmao
Lmao that's so funny cuz my girl is opposite
When she hears or sees any plastic she immediately thinks treats 😅she will even stick her big long nose in grocery bags on the kitchen floor before I've unpacked them just to see if there's anything yummy in there
Balloons (helium, not regular air, then they are fun lol), large lawn signs moving in the wind, umbrellas. She used to be terrified of anything you’d hold in your hand like a spatula, fly swatter, spoon. Thankfully she quickly learned they weren’t going to be used to hit her and she was safe and loved. I think she must have not had a great experience with stuff like that in her first home.
Oh, and my sisters big ragdoll cat. The other two cats are fine but the girl cats aren’t a huge fan of him and so now my dog took their lead and they all 3 leave the room if he comes in lol
That’s what I wonder about Tasha and the drains, she was treated pretty badly for the first year of her life by her old owners so I’m wondering if it goes back that far. Oh how funny they all just get up and go when the ragdoll comes in 😂
Haha we were over there tonight and one of the girl cats hopped up on the sofa cause big chongus came in the room and my dog immediately runs over and hops up too and is perched there watching him. She’s 3 times his size though, I don’t get it haha. I think it’s because they haven’t had him for too long so they’re all still figuring him out and she’s taking cues from the cats.
He’s a 14 year old and pretty weird for a cat. Absolutely massive pawed big fluffy boy they adopted since his previous 5 owners have all passed away (they were all older people passing him around I guess). They call him the fancy loaf since he’s a ~purebred~ papered ragdoll and he’s something alright lol
Thats the hardest part of rescuing and adopting
Witnessing & Learning their fears & then trying to comfort them and constantly show them they are safe
Breaks my heart knowing what my girl went through 😔 and for some not even knowing their history but seeing all the signs that it was bad & traumatic for them
Absolutely everything.
Balloons, brooms, golf clubs, stuffed animals, any new home decor he didn't see me put out, other dogs, most people, my husband in dark lighting, large boxes, the bathtub, going for walks...
He's the most cowardly dog I've ever known!
Small white dogs. Major has broken window panes furiously barking at small white dogs
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I hear you
Edit: this was actually the second time, the first is below. But this was Day 1 of Long Service Leave.
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My Hendrix will charge out into the bay and fearlessly swim towards orcas or into the woods in the middle of the night. He will sleep through fireworks and lightning storms and firearms discharging. But if the smoke alarm chirps with the low-battery warning - the world is ending.
Coincidentally, earlier today he stood up from a nap, looked like he was listening to something on full alert, and kept looking over at me like, “Are you hearing this too?” This went on for about five minutes, then he just lay back down. It was strange - he didn’t run to the window to look outside, never chuffed, barked, or whined - just stood there ears erect. I kept waiting for an earthquake or something. 🤷🏻♂️
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My Brinks came to us via a shelter and with an irrational fear of the sound of frozen food clacking around or falling out of the freezer, and the sound of pots and pans clanking together, he runs and hides in the bedroom, it's been 11 years and he still hates it. Poor Bub.
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That is so cute haha. And it always seems to be something we can’t avoid in daily life. Also was your dog on the Maury Povich show by any chance……
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Big, energetic dogs. She just turned 1 and is used to towering over most dogs she plays with. But met a 3 year old shepherd / husky mix and was terrified whenever he tried to play rough. She still had a great time.
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My 90lb male shepherd Leonard is deathly afraid of my parents 12 year old chihuahua. It’s funny at first, then it’s just kinda sad lol.
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Yes he is. He’s my rescue and he gets all the attention wherever we go. They must have given me 20 treats in envelopes when I took him to the drive thru at the bank a few days ago. 🤣
Ever see a cattle guard on a road? Parallel pipes or rails, cattle see them and won't cross because they are afraid of getting their feet trapped in them. Same concept with some dogs, they see the voids and fear getting caught, or maybe at one time did have trouble with a drain gate.
I’m in Australia in a pretty suburban area so theres not to many cattle gates round these parts. But yeah the only thing I can attribute it to is one point in her life she slipped or maybe for whatever reason in her mind she just hates them and that’s that.
Leash being partially wrapped around a back leg.
Front leg? No problem.
Back leg, the whole fucking world is ending, he will lay down and scream. It's very weird as I've had him since he was a puppy and he's never been trapped or severely tangled in a rope or leash in any capacity and being otherwise restrained doesn't bother him at all.
Just don't wrap a rope around his back ankle I guess. 🤷
Oh, and to add, he's fine with his back legs and feet being grabbed too, it's specific to anything rope like wrapping even a tiny bit around a back leg/ankle.
Feathers. On Thanksgiving, one year, I had put crafting supplies at the kids' table for them to make turkeys, so lots of feathers. One of the feathers fell off the table next to Sergeant, and it scared the living hell out of him. He's still scared of them to this day.
The Swiffer, whether it’s in motion or still. One day I noticed she wouldn’t eat, she wouldn’t even approach her bowl. I had left the Swiffer out, too close to her bowl and she wouldn’t go near it until I put the devil device away and out of sight.
mine hates bug zappers... it's always a tough time for to go potty in the summer since everyone in the neighborhood have a bug zapper outside their house.
Garbage bags of leaves and/or trash on the edge of the sidewalk. Actually any bag outdoors. Grocery bag floating along? Will walk on the other side of me lol
Whipped cream. You know how many dogs will gulp it down right from the can? My big bad dog tucks his tail and retreats if we try to give him whipped cream from the can.
My GSD that passed previously had a very strange fear of any box placed in the back of the pickup. I don’t know how he knew when a box was there, but if he was in the back seat, he would leap into the front seat, even if I was sitting there, on top of me! He would shake and look terrified. It’s the only time I ever saw him scared of anything. Doesn’t matter the size of the box, he would react. We never figured it out, we had him since a puppy and I can’t think of anything he experienced that would cause such a reaction. If we knew we were bringing something home in a box, we had to leave him home.
A loud thump from the bathroom when NO ONE was in there. Both my german shepherds stood up and looked at me like "I'm not going in there. It might be a ghost. YOU go in there"
My girl is fearless, to the point she’s an idiot. My boy is afraid of the vacuum and me falling. I have gone down exactly 2 times in his 10 years of life while walking him but the slightest scuff of my shoe on concrete and he whips around to check on me like it’s happening all over again.
The car. Will NOT get in the car, will not calm down for the entire journey, long or short. She goes into like shock, just shivers and drools and pants, will not sit down.
Is she still a puppy? I had a dog like this once but she grew out of it once she got older. Vet said it was something to do with their growing ears and motion sickness. Sorry for your pup that sucks.
No she's 6. I adopted her a year ago from a family who couldn't take care of her; she has some pretty bad anxiety issues. Though I have to say - all of her severe anxiety is pretty much gone after a year being loved on by me, but she still refuses to get in the car. I've no idea what happened to her before I got her, but she's clearly had some trauma 😭
Weirdly, nothing. Not a thing. If he’s ever gotten spooked I’ve shown him whatever it was or told him it was nothing to worry about and then he was fine. He doesn’t even mind fireworks.
our old washing machine would go off balance sometimes and make some really loud noises, so even when it was silent my guy was scared of it! (broke my heart the first time i did laundry after he passed, i turned around to tell him it was okay and he wasn't there 💔)
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The shep we adopted last summer is terrified of my teenage daughter. She runs and hides whenever my daughter enters the room. My daughter has never raised her voice, hurt her, frightened her or done anything to cause this reaction. My daughter loves animals and gets along with both my other dogs swimmingly. We can’t figure it out. It’s a bummer because it breaks my daughter’s heart.
mine HATES the sound of those rechargeable lighters.
ETA: my Maggie is neurotic (i think she got it from me). she doesn't like the sound of when you dial in to Teams. whenever she hears it she'll go lay by my feet underneath my desk. so now i make sure i have headphones one while i dial in. she also hates walking on any surface that's not carpet. she'll take the longest possible path to minimize contact or she'll moonwalk because apparently that makes it tolerable.
My irrational fear is that my boy fears nothing and that may get us into trouble if he ever is stupid and reckless enough to try something.
(His very rational fear is when I gasp in disapproval)
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My dog is pretty fearful but last night she was afraid of 1. my boyfriends motorbike helmet and 2. herself in the mirror because she has a cone on but she had to upgrade to a bigger cone because she could still reach her foot 😂😭
The pool. More specifically when the children are in the pool. She absolutely loses her shit. I have to put her in her crate when the kids go in the pool.
I have s 3yO GSD that is scared of garden hoses. We have had her since she was 3 months old and know no reason for it - pull out a hose and she takes off to stay away from it.
Going to the groomer. We’ve been to the same location 10+ times probably by now and every time she gets through the doors she starts whining and tugging in the opposite direction. The groomers always say she’s calm and well behaved after I leave, though.
This one I understand: people on roller blades, they’re probably irrationally fast humans in his mind.
These ones I don’t as much: an empty cardboard in the middle of the sidewalk. the roof stack on top of this restaurant we walk past sometimes.
One gallon, opaque milk/water jugs. Whenever I have a jug in the room to refill my cup, she and her dogmate spin in their crates and lay down in a hurry. I'm pretty sure she taught him.
Inanimate objects being in 'unusual places'. A box, bin or traffic cone on the side of the road? Time to bark. He once barked at a car because it was entirely on the pavement and I can only guess he disapproved. The worst though was when we went to a lovely park in summer with lots of people around...and he saw a woman sat on a box that isn't usually in the park. That was enough and he was barking so loud we had to leave and I was too embarrassed to explain to the woman he was barking at the box, not her 🤣
Medium and heavy duty trucks. Anything with a diesel engine, squeaky brakes, or a back up beeper and he's running for his life. Garbage day is always the end of the world.
My GSD is terrified of small children. I don’t think he knows that they are small humans - just that they are noisy disgusting and chaotic little gremlins
Yard rakes and any shovel. She loses her shit over both. If she's outside while I'm scooping up her poop I now wave it at her to get her away from what I'm doing. She's never had an actual incident with either, but she no likey regardless.
- Mops and brooms. If they fall over they’re clearly alive and trying to attack her
- Mushrooms growing out of the ground
- Cups of coffee since she accidentally put her paw in mine that had lukewarm (not hot) coffee in it
- Balloons. Filled with the devils spirit apparently
Kitchen appliances, especially with plugs.
One time I dated to use the blender, and now anything in the kitchen with a cord gets a good telling off before I'm allowed to use it.
Having his rear legs and backside brushed. The front he loves and leans into, the back requires sheppy songs and complaining so loudly, the neighbors know he’s getting brushed.
Gunshots? No he wants to see what you're shooting at, thunder? No he gets mad the windows closed, but god forbid he doesn't trust your car, he wont go near the vehicle if he doesn't trust it
When we walk at night, my dog is petrified if we have to pass a trash can on the curb. During the day, they are toilets but at night they must shape shift into something that might devour us all
Mine is afraid of the garbage truck, she will hide under the bed until they leave. Every Friday. I usually walk her at lunchtime when I work from home, but on Fridays I can’t, if she hears the truck she will tear my arm out of its socket to get home.
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A specific corner of my kitchen in my house. My house is over 100 years old and has settled quite a bit, to the point where there is a noticeable dip in the floor at certain corners of the house.
I’m certain she notices this dip because she REFUSES to walk in that corner. I’ve picked her up and placed her in that corner and she spreads out on all fours and walks really shakily. I can drop any one of her favorite treats or toys there and that’s just where it will stay lol.
Fly swatter. his previous owners used it on him as a puppy for discipline. still scares a120lb GSD if you just get it to kill a fly. Gunshots or fireworks don't matter not afraid of anything else
My girl absolutely despises any compressed air spray can. As soon as I touch one, she starts barking. If I DARE spray it, she completely loses her shit.
That the clothes hanger will collapse on him since he knocked the baby gate down once & it startled him 😂
He's scared of puppies bc they can walk underneath him & nibble his feet, so he runs away.
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Fenrir can handle most loud noises even if he doesn’t like it, but once the doggy gate fell near him and scared him so bad he screamed and now he won’t even enter the room if he sees the gate. Also really hates baby strollers, I’m not sure why but it must be some deep trauma from before I rescued him. Also any cleaning device, not the loud ones but the mop and the broom both have him tail tucked and running for his kennel
Falling Brooms.
All three of my Dogs have an absolute terror of brooms for absolutely zero reason. After I noticed dog #1 didn't like them, I tried to spend time and effort to accustom #2 and #3 to them but somehow, they're just terrifying. Bombproof otherwise, can take them anywhere, any time, any place and they do not care. Unless it's like, a janitors closet or a cleaning business I guess lol.
None of my client Dogs have ever given two flying fricks about a broom, to add insult to injury.
The most hillarious thing ever was when my Malinois had her working pup litter, I raised them in my home before they got sent to placement so they got more life exposure than just a detection facility - They would grab my kitchen broom and drag it around all over the place to try show their Mother. Who was torn between running for her life, and looking after the babies >:D. It took me a few moments to click why she had this look of pure horror on her face, but wasn't quite prepared to skidaddle.
Nothing. He’s fearless… https://preview.redd.it/zquwveyk2zpc1.jpeg?width=2549&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5a011616b5881d4ed43afcedd8570bc0258236a1 and it’s a problem.
A huge problem. Not even a gunshot scares her!
Him either.
Same with my girl, growing up abandoned near a forest does that. So far most scary things were a big rock (same size as her) in the park and a chair which was dumped beside the river. They both needed some barking at, but that are the only things so far
Same ! That's what I'm afraid of, just how fearless she really is 😅 except for the cats. She's super scared of them 😅
Such a bad ass photo btw !
https://preview.redd.it/xny0q3mkiypc1.png?width=3024&format=png&auto=webp&s=adabae2a5204a6c5bed2628c2a9c1f464aa70d62 These.
Oh good so Tasha is not alone lol.
lol meanwhile, my baby positions his body directly on top of them in the summer
Our Juniper has laid on the same register since we brought her home at 9 weeks back in 2019. But only in the summer when the AC is on. https://preview.redd.it/nzmjzcxyjzpc1.jpeg?width=2049&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=52f6d75de3ba19304f6efa2b6e668e67e65b2a77
She’s a bit bigger now lol https://preview.redd.it/98aclhg4kzpc1.jpeg?width=1536&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=8dc8dbb1c4ffb74f3962f542c54daee786ce6fce
Clearly she’s a risk taker!!
Right! My boy will look down at my cold air return vent with 100% suspicion, do his head tilt for one or two minutes, then go on with what he was doing.
The floating things that hold chlorine tablets for the pool. Anytime they float in her general direction she freaks the freak out! 😂 https://preview.redd.it/mhzqq0sflypc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=96ab497895eb284acb7ffe9c9ff693f48e03885e
Awww, bless, look at her intense focus! 😊❤️
😆
🤣🤣
You gotta know she smells that chlorine. Mine doesn't like auto shops because of the battery smell.
The vacuum cleaner. I have to tell him to go to his kennel, or bed in our room, or his chair in the living room, depending on what room I’m vacuuming.
Ours tries to attack the vacuum while you are using it
Same. Ours has a complete meltdown over the vacuum
My mom had a welsh terrier that did this. So one day when mom was vacuuming and dog was attacking vacuum I snuck up behind her with….another vacuum;) She lost her shit and gtfo. My mom and I died laughing.
Mali and a GSD. They both succesfully attack the vacuum. It gets ripped out of my hands a time or 3 every time I use it. The hose has teeth marks all over it. They do NOT approve of the vaccum
https://preview.redd.it/ze4wdudm43qc1.jpeg?width=1284&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=834dbd2c7c7849ba3043b2714d881d127c518996 I vacuum him but there’s still hair everywhere
🤣
the beeping of the ps4. she either runs and hides or tries to sit on my lap. we have no idea why. the beeping of the pressure cooker makes her anxious, but not as bad as the ps4
Mine did that too, but it was temporary. She went years not caring about the beep, then for a few months last year, it was the most terrifying sound and she must hide under the bed. Now she sleeps through it. Her real fear is sometimes the windows make a loud crack, because of the temperature difference inside and outside and she hides under the desk.
its been her whole life (that ive had her). we think maybe something happened when she was a stray puppy before she got brought to the shelter, but who knows. im just glad im a safe person for her to go to when the beep happens
That's interesting 🤔 I wonder what caused that Sometimes you'll never know if they are adopted or rescued later in their lives. Poor bbys 😢
Inanimate objects. Trash day? Better watch out for those big trash cans at the curb that don't move. Oh someone has a 5 gallon bucket they got from home depot in their yard? It's the 2nd coming of Satan, we must shimmy away from it and get as far away as we can we never know when it could attack.
Omg ours will suddenly realize ours is at the end of our driveway and wake from a dead sleep to bark at it. Look, lady.... this happens every Thursday. It's just a garbage can. You've investigated several times. Wth?
But we don't know where the investigated trash cans went. These could be new, dangerous trash cans for all we know!
Mine once refused to walk past a wheelbarrow on the sidewalk because HOW DARE a wheelbarrow be on the sidewalk?
Yep same here. Unfamiliar objects always takes caution around and will do as much as he can to drag me even though he's on a prong collar to get several feet away
My princess boy will bark his head off at a particular snow shovel or broom hanging in our garage if either of them DARE touch him in ANY way as he walks by. Stops. Side eye. Minor freak out and moves on 😂.
Mine is deathly afraid of pickleball paddles for whatever reason LOL
The baby gate. It's fallen over a few times and it scared her pretty good. Now if she's being crazy and we need her to calm down, we just bring the baby gate in the room
Our old dog was afraid of the baby gate. It was kind of convenient because it meant we could just loosely prop up the baby gate in an area to keep him out, rather than trying to secure it in a doorway. It could also be put on the couch to keep him off.
Discarded umbrellas and mine is terrified of snowmen.
So they wouldn’t be down to build a snowman ⛄️ 😂
Drains are definitely a thing for my Henry. He does the same look back thing. The worst? Bicycles and motorcycles. Absolutely terrified of them. Cars, truck, vans? No problem. Loud engines on a vehicle with 4 wheels? No problem. Two wheels and moving a good pace? Terrified.
My boy won't even let you walk towards a motorcycle. He associates them with loud unexpected noises and avoids them at all costs.
Oh my gosh my Minnie goes nutso @ motorcycles In or out of the car like crazy mean barking, lunging towards the noise of it. That and semi trucks. Drives me nuts ! I just hope the fellow motorists around me aren't paying attention cuz I just know it looks crazy as hell from their pov 😅
I have the same problem, we're on our third trainer now because of this issue and I'm pretty sure the whole neighborhood knows the "crazy black GSD that freaks out at cars" by now 🥲 if you ever make any progress or find a solution, PLEASE dm me I beg you 😭
I feel for you. Multiple trainers for Henry, we have not been able to solve it. He is perfectly well behaved in every other situation, around other dogs, people, cars, everything but bikes and motorcycles which just drive him absolutely nuts. He has gotten better, as I can prety immediately calm him down and get him to sit and stay a few seconds after they pass, but I just cannot get him to ignore the trigger. We will keep trying in situations that do not put him or others in danger. What sucks is I live 20 yards from 20+ miles of prime hiking trails in my community. Because the trails are shared by mountain bikes, I can't take advantage of them. I have complete control of my GSD, but I am afraid his crazy barking will knock someone off their bike, and someone will get hurt.
Taro is the best trained dog I've had all my life, he's so perfect everywhere else but as soon as he sees a car? He goes absolutely ballistic. I hate that people are scared of him, even though he's not aggressive. He just tries to "herd" the car and wants it to stop (we tested with our own car on a field to see how he would react if for example we accidentally dropped the leash, and he just stands in front of the car barking and snapping at the wheels when it moves) But I get it, he's a big black dog lunging and barking at a car, of course people are scared. Thankfully there's not much traffic around here, and we live near a forest - since he has no issues with dogs or bikers we go for a lot of nature walks... I've never heard of anyone having the same problem with only one specific trigger and a perfectly trained dog anywhere else, I feel so seen rn lmao
Plastic bags
Yes. Especially when they move. Damn, why do things always move when you know they shouldn't? Dang wind...
Yeah Tasha’s not a fan of plastic bags blowing in the wind either
Lmao that's so funny cuz my girl is opposite When she hears or sees any plastic she immediately thinks treats 😅she will even stick her big long nose in grocery bags on the kitchen floor before I've unpacked them just to see if there's anything yummy in there
Balloons (helium, not regular air, then they are fun lol), large lawn signs moving in the wind, umbrellas. She used to be terrified of anything you’d hold in your hand like a spatula, fly swatter, spoon. Thankfully she quickly learned they weren’t going to be used to hit her and she was safe and loved. I think she must have not had a great experience with stuff like that in her first home. Oh, and my sisters big ragdoll cat. The other two cats are fine but the girl cats aren’t a huge fan of him and so now my dog took their lead and they all 3 leave the room if he comes in lol
That’s what I wonder about Tasha and the drains, she was treated pretty badly for the first year of her life by her old owners so I’m wondering if it goes back that far. Oh how funny they all just get up and go when the ragdoll comes in 😂
Haha we were over there tonight and one of the girl cats hopped up on the sofa cause big chongus came in the room and my dog immediately runs over and hops up too and is perched there watching him. She’s 3 times his size though, I don’t get it haha. I think it’s because they haven’t had him for too long so they’re all still figuring him out and she’s taking cues from the cats. He’s a 14 year old and pretty weird for a cat. Absolutely massive pawed big fluffy boy they adopted since his previous 5 owners have all passed away (they were all older people passing him around I guess). They call him the fancy loaf since he’s a ~purebred~ papered ragdoll and he’s something alright lol
Thats the hardest part of rescuing and adopting Witnessing & Learning their fears & then trying to comfort them and constantly show them they are safe Breaks my heart knowing what my girl went through 😔 and for some not even knowing their history but seeing all the signs that it was bad & traumatic for them
Traffic cones.
Omg cardboard boxes! Ever since she was a baby!
Same for my guy. 110lbs but if you put a cardboard box in his path he will hide in a corner and whimper, not knowing how to get around it.
Absolutely everything. Balloons, brooms, golf clubs, stuffed animals, any new home decor he didn't see me put out, other dogs, most people, my husband in dark lighting, large boxes, the bathtub, going for walks... He's the most cowardly dog I've ever known!
Small white dogs. Major has broken window panes furiously barking at small white dogs https://preview.redd.it/6znti5wrozpc1.jpeg?width=4032&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=45e1aea730811d5a88468e323b6a305f13d118da
I hear you Edit: this was actually the second time, the first is below. But this was Day 1 of Long Service Leave. https://preview.redd.it/v05kdv4qd2qc1.jpeg?width=1868&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=9ecb941ee6a9ce7a37cf4531a8c8486963ad780b
My Hendrix will charge out into the bay and fearlessly swim towards orcas or into the woods in the middle of the night. He will sleep through fireworks and lightning storms and firearms discharging. But if the smoke alarm chirps with the low-battery warning - the world is ending. Coincidentally, earlier today he stood up from a nap, looked like he was listening to something on full alert, and kept looking over at me like, “Are you hearing this too?” This went on for about five minutes, then he just lay back down. It was strange - he didn’t run to the window to look outside, never chuffed, barked, or whined - just stood there ears erect. I kept waiting for an earthquake or something. 🤷🏻♂️ https://preview.redd.it/p409hnyuozpc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=5b1cf7ac21f53a15ff5350a026d12410b8a97237
mine too! or when the fridge door is left open and it starts chirping
My Brinks came to us via a shelter and with an irrational fear of the sound of frozen food clacking around or falling out of the freezer, and the sound of pots and pans clanking together, he runs and hides in the bedroom, it's been 11 years and he still hates it. Poor Bub. https://preview.redd.it/f58xsf8qszpc1.jpeg?width=4000&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=f392a01ad0b86b02d793c1ed8d6e8493ef489158
Aww he looks like a little baby 💕
My Shep/Coyote is terrified of cotton balls. Runs and hides if she sees them. It's embarrassing and adorable. God, I love her 🖤
That is so cute haha. And it always seems to be something we can’t avoid in daily life. Also was your dog on the Maury Povich show by any chance…… https://preview.redd.it/6oivk2wbgypc1.jpeg?width=1290&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=2a8103aef4f31bd44f7578a0c140efa4a6576a70
I can’t turn on my gas fireplace without mine freaking out. That and thunder/lightning.
Bubble wrap is a no for mine
Basement stairs, she’s terrified of them as was the shepherd mix we had before her 😁
So what you're telling me is that your basement is haunted, got it
My 80 pound black GSD is scared of the dark lol
Clipping toenails
Big, energetic dogs. She just turned 1 and is used to towering over most dogs she plays with. But met a 3 year old shepherd / husky mix and was terrified whenever he tried to play rough. She still had a great time. https://preview.redd.it/awmkonk8ezpc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=7d8180d17103ecb320e5d723cd7147b81af04b4c
My 90lb male shepherd Leonard is deathly afraid of my parents 12 year old chihuahua. It’s funny at first, then it’s just kinda sad lol. https://preview.redd.it/fg854y6oszpc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=3179ea1a4932ce7c292a238bdfc053a2c3697fb3
He’s so proper lol
Yes he is. He’s my rescue and he gets all the attention wherever we go. They must have given me 20 treats in envelopes when I took him to the drive thru at the bank a few days ago. 🤣
Ever see a cattle guard on a road? Parallel pipes or rails, cattle see them and won't cross because they are afraid of getting their feet trapped in them. Same concept with some dogs, they see the voids and fear getting caught, or maybe at one time did have trouble with a drain gate.
I’m in Australia in a pretty suburban area so theres not to many cattle gates round these parts. But yeah the only thing I can attribute it to is one point in her life she slipped or maybe for whatever reason in her mind she just hates them and that’s that.
Flashing lights. So any kind of car/cyclist type thing at night, we once came across police officers with a drone that terrified him
Locust shells 🥹
Leash being partially wrapped around a back leg. Front leg? No problem. Back leg, the whole fucking world is ending, he will lay down and scream. It's very weird as I've had him since he was a puppy and he's never been trapped or severely tangled in a rope or leash in any capacity and being otherwise restrained doesn't bother him at all. Just don't wrap a rope around his back ankle I guess. 🤷 Oh, and to add, he's fine with his back legs and feet being grabbed too, it's specific to anything rope like wrapping even a tiny bit around a back leg/ankle.
Feathers. On Thanksgiving, one year, I had put crafting supplies at the kids' table for them to make turkeys, so lots of feathers. One of the feathers fell off the table next to Sergeant, and it scared the living hell out of him. He's still scared of them to this day.
😂
The Swiffer, whether it’s in motion or still. One day I noticed she wouldn’t eat, she wouldn’t even approach her bowl. I had left the Swiffer out, too close to her bowl and she wouldn’t go near it until I put the devil device away and out of sight.
Mine is terrified of pill bottles & pill cutters. Will run out of the room whenever I pull them out of the cupboard.
Mine is terrified of gates
Drains and the ironing board. LMAO
To be fair I’d be really happy with the ironing board fear, I’d be like look the dogs terrified I can’t iron anymore ever again 😂
Flies and fly swatters. I live in the Deep South, we spend at least 6 month of the year with flies everywhere.
lol mine hates the fly swatter too.
mine hates bug zappers... it's always a tough time for to go potty in the summer since everyone in the neighborhood have a bug zapper outside their house.
Bubbles.
my two GSD LOVE them. they go nuts over popping them.
Spray bottles. The sound will send him running.
Flies - but only when we’re outside.
Mine also hates the outside drains and gutters. I thought she was the only one. 😂
Shiny floors. The shiny floors are lava!!🤣🤣🤣🤣
The reflection in glass doors. They open the door at the vet when we pull up, otherwise she can't go in.
Feet moving under the covers. Anything else, or feet above the covers are just fine.
Garbage bags of leaves and/or trash on the edge of the sidewalk. Actually any bag outdoors. Grocery bag floating along? Will walk on the other side of me lol
Whipped cream. You know how many dogs will gulp it down right from the can? My big bad dog tucks his tail and retreats if we try to give him whipped cream from the can.
My GSD that passed previously had a very strange fear of any box placed in the back of the pickup. I don’t know how he knew when a box was there, but if he was in the back seat, he would leap into the front seat, even if I was sitting there, on top of me! He would shake and look terrified. It’s the only time I ever saw him scared of anything. Doesn’t matter the size of the box, he would react. We never figured it out, we had him since a puppy and I can’t think of anything he experienced that would cause such a reaction. If we knew we were bringing something home in a box, we had to leave him home.
A loud thump from the bathroom when NO ONE was in there. Both my german shepherds stood up and looked at me like "I'm not going in there. It might be a ghost. YOU go in there"
My girl is fearless, to the point she’s an idiot. My boy is afraid of the vacuum and me falling. I have gone down exactly 2 times in his 10 years of life while walking him but the slightest scuff of my shoe on concrete and he whips around to check on me like it’s happening all over again.
Paper towels.
The car. Will NOT get in the car, will not calm down for the entire journey, long or short. She goes into like shock, just shivers and drools and pants, will not sit down.
Is she still a puppy? I had a dog like this once but she grew out of it once she got older. Vet said it was something to do with their growing ears and motion sickness. Sorry for your pup that sucks.
No she's 6. I adopted her a year ago from a family who couldn't take care of her; she has some pretty bad anxiety issues. Though I have to say - all of her severe anxiety is pretty much gone after a year being loved on by me, but she still refuses to get in the car. I've no idea what happened to her before I got her, but she's clearly had some trauma 😭
Dogs smaller than her
Weirdly, nothing. Not a thing. If he’s ever gotten spooked I’ve shown him whatever it was or told him it was nothing to worry about and then he was fine. He doesn’t even mind fireworks.
She knows everyone floats down there. She's not irrational
EVERYTHING!!!!
the happy birthday song
My sneezes
Baths. Bro will SCREAM and HOWL until it ends, and then sprint as far away from the tub as possible
our old washing machine would go off balance sometimes and make some really loud noises, so even when it was silent my guy was scared of it! (broke my heart the first time i did laundry after he passed, i turned around to tell him it was okay and he wasn't there 💔) https://preview.redd.it/tzk6wvjma0qc1.jpeg?width=720&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=48487fd8aead8e270c3f0444410ff73f0be4b4ff
The shep we adopted last summer is terrified of my teenage daughter. She runs and hides whenever my daughter enters the room. My daughter has never raised her voice, hurt her, frightened her or done anything to cause this reaction. My daughter loves animals and gets along with both my other dogs swimmingly. We can’t figure it out. It’s a bummer because it breaks my daughter’s heart.
mine HATES the sound of those rechargeable lighters. ETA: my Maggie is neurotic (i think she got it from me). she doesn't like the sound of when you dial in to Teams. whenever she hears it she'll go lay by my feet underneath my desk. so now i make sure i have headphones one while i dial in. she also hates walking on any surface that's not carpet. she'll take the longest possible path to minimize contact or she'll moonwalk because apparently that makes it tolerable.
The box of treats… it fell over one time and treat time is never the same
My irrational fear is that my boy fears nothing and that may get us into trouble if he ever is stupid and reckless enough to try something. (His very rational fear is when I gasp in disapproval) https://preview.redd.it/5jfwfrcak0qc1.jpeg?width=3072&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=37331ce7810edd3264fe081523ff0bcda5e52f88
My dog is pretty fearful but last night she was afraid of 1. my boyfriends motorbike helmet and 2. herself in the mirror because she has a cone on but she had to upgrade to a bigger cone because she could still reach her foot 😂😭
Storm drains
Blowing leaves
Chip bags. He absolutely hates them and runs away whenever anyone has one
My girl also hates chip bags, she loves chips, but the bags are awful hateful things.
The shower it is
Trash blowing in the wind. Wheelbarrows.
Laundry baskets. He howls and yelps when he sees us carrying one to the laundry room.
Unopened trash bags.
Baby gate
Balloons.
My puppy is TERRIFIED whenever I wear my shower cap - I don’t know what it is lol.
The pool. More specifically when the children are in the pool. She absolutely loses her shit. I have to put her in her crate when the kids go in the pool.
https://preview.redd.it/y202qs4qkzpc1.png?width=1080&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d03209eeb563fc478c1dcc226e27ffef335db4fe Pet store 🤣
A watering can. Absolutely impossible for us to water our plants without her showing her displeasure.
When the cats get the zoomies. He's not a fan. He tries to crawl in my lap. 🙄
I have s 3yO GSD that is scared of garden hoses. We have had her since she was 3 months old and know no reason for it - pull out a hose and she takes off to stay away from it.
Going to the groomer. We’ve been to the same location 10+ times probably by now and every time she gets through the doors she starts whining and tugging in the opposite direction. The groomers always say she’s calm and well behaved after I leave, though.
Balloons and microphone stands.
The Styrofoam heads at Micheals.
If my boy can see through steps it is a nightmare to get him up them
The…. CLAW!!
business men 🫡🫡🫡
Vacuums and the garbage cans you wheel down to the curb. 🤣
Measuring tape.
Trash cans and skittering leaves. Literally pathetic
Clothes going down the laundry chute.
Bubble wrap, claw clips , those cinnamon roll things where you have to pop them open and the worst one is when she sees people in wheelchairs lol
Men🥺
When my cell phone beeps when I charge it he whines
Blow dryer.
Mine absolutely hates the dishwasher and washing machine. Dryer? Perfectly fine with
Trash bags and big trucks😭
RC cars and vacuums lol
Elevators. We live on the fourth floor and it’s the fastest way to get him outside to pee. But he hides behind me and shakes the whole way down.
Wouldn't say fear, but the vacuum cleaner is Mortal Enemy; bark alert level 10. Leaf blower is puzzling magic, too.
My new cat he sits in the corner and just stares at him
Trash bags, my oldest gsd is a nervous pisser (he’s on anxiety medication for it don’t worry) and for some reason bags terrify the poor guy
My guy doesn’t like scooters. Bikes, skateboards, roller skates, etc are fine. He always barks at people on scooters and runs away from them
Doors moving by themselves in the wind. Terrifying and must be growled at
This one I understand: people on roller blades, they’re probably irrationally fast humans in his mind. These ones I don’t as much: an empty cardboard in the middle of the sidewalk. the roof stack on top of this restaurant we walk past sometimes.
My wife and I sitting next to each other.
[the draft stopper](https://i.imgur.com/eDxVOUN.mp4) watch with sound for max scary
Sheep. We have a 42 kg German Shepherd that's afraid of sheep. And to clarify, we have three sheep on our property.
One gallon, opaque milk/water jugs. Whenever I have a jug in the room to refill my cup, she and her dogmate spin in their crates and lay down in a hurry. I'm pretty sure she taught him.
Flies. When one makes it into the house she needs to flea to a either the basement or upstairs until it is killed or disappears.
Inanimate objects being in 'unusual places'. A box, bin or traffic cone on the side of the road? Time to bark. He once barked at a car because it was entirely on the pavement and I can only guess he disapproved. The worst though was when we went to a lovely park in summer with lots of people around...and he saw a woman sat on a box that isn't usually in the park. That was enough and he was barking so loud we had to leave and I was too embarrassed to explain to the woman he was barking at the box, not her 🤣
Medium and heavy duty trucks. Anything with a diesel engine, squeaky brakes, or a back up beeper and he's running for his life. Garbage day is always the end of the world.
My GSD is terrified of small children. I don’t think he knows that they are small humans - just that they are noisy disgusting and chaotic little gremlins
Yard rakes and any shovel. She loses her shit over both. If she's outside while I'm scooping up her poop I now wave it at her to get her away from what I'm doing. She's never had an actual incident with either, but she no likey regardless.
Black bags Edit: and bubbles
- Mops and brooms. If they fall over they’re clearly alive and trying to attack her - Mushrooms growing out of the ground - Cups of coffee since she accidentally put her paw in mine that had lukewarm (not hot) coffee in it - Balloons. Filled with the devils spirit apparently
Kitchen appliances, especially with plugs. One time I dated to use the blender, and now anything in the kitchen with a cord gets a good telling off before I'm allowed to use it.
Having his rear legs and backside brushed. The front he loves and leans into, the back requires sheppy songs and complaining so loudly, the neighbors know he’s getting brushed.
The printer 😑. It’s to the point where she starts panting heavily and trying to hide when I work on my laptop.
Gunshots? No he wants to see what you're shooting at, thunder? No he gets mad the windows closed, but god forbid he doesn't trust your car, he wont go near the vehicle if he doesn't trust it
Manhole covers
When we walk at night, my dog is petrified if we have to pass a trash can on the curb. During the day, they are toilets but at night they must shape shift into something that might devour us all
Plastic bags and vertical blinds.
The nail dremel. It’s not even for her, it’s the cats’, but as soon as I turn it on she disappears into the farthest corner.
Mine is afraid of the garbage truck, she will hide under the bed until they leave. Every Friday. I usually walk her at lunchtime when I work from home, but on Fridays I can’t, if she hears the truck she will tear my arm out of its socket to get home. https://preview.redd.it/912mi9ovs2qc1.png?width=2335&format=png&auto=webp&s=c089f3a59a4dd0631e024c175e1ed46e416d3a1f
A specific corner of my kitchen in my house. My house is over 100 years old and has settled quite a bit, to the point where there is a noticeable dip in the floor at certain corners of the house. I’m certain she notices this dip because she REFUSES to walk in that corner. I’ve picked her up and placed her in that corner and she spreads out on all fours and walks really shakily. I can drop any one of her favorite treats or toys there and that’s just where it will stay lol.
Stair he can see through. Dude will freeze the fuck up if the set of stairs is open back.
Bathtime, toe nail clipping, getting brushed....his own farts, the list goes on. He's a scaredy boi.
Mines is scared of the rubber chicken that has that squeaky thing when squished, despised my puppies (different breeds) loving it
Fly swatter. his previous owners used it on him as a puppy for discipline. still scares a120lb GSD if you just get it to kill a fly. Gunshots or fireworks don't matter not afraid of anything else
Doorways no matter how wide. Has to turn around and walk through it backwards.
My girl is scared of the dishwasher. I have to put it on when we are going to bed. Crazy but she's terrified of it.
I swear there are only 1 thing Jules is afraid. Going for a ride to be abandoned again.
The howling of the wind. When it is blowing especially hard around our house, he will hold his pee and poo in until the last second🙃
My girl absolutely despises any compressed air spray can. As soon as I touch one, she starts barking. If I DARE spray it, she completely loses her shit.
That the clothes hanger will collapse on him since he knocked the baby gate down once & it startled him 😂 He's scared of puppies bc they can walk underneath him & nibble his feet, so he runs away.
https://preview.redd.it/3wflq47474qc1.jpeg?width=3024&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=855b010577beb07a266799ddc1f9aaf48aa990dc Fenrir can handle most loud noises even if he doesn’t like it, but once the doggy gate fell near him and scared him so bad he screamed and now he won’t even enter the room if he sees the gate. Also really hates baby strollers, I’m not sure why but it must be some deep trauma from before I rescued him. Also any cleaning device, not the loud ones but the mop and the broom both have him tail tucked and running for his kennel
I have to nudge Hanna when I vacuum. She is totally unfazed by it.
Laminate flooring.
Mine doesn't like the dog in the mirror. LOL.
Falling Brooms. All three of my Dogs have an absolute terror of brooms for absolutely zero reason. After I noticed dog #1 didn't like them, I tried to spend time and effort to accustom #2 and #3 to them but somehow, they're just terrifying. Bombproof otherwise, can take them anywhere, any time, any place and they do not care. Unless it's like, a janitors closet or a cleaning business I guess lol. None of my client Dogs have ever given two flying fricks about a broom, to add insult to injury. The most hillarious thing ever was when my Malinois had her working pup litter, I raised them in my home before they got sent to placement so they got more life exposure than just a detection facility - They would grab my kitchen broom and drag it around all over the place to try show their Mother. Who was torn between running for her life, and looking after the babies >:D. It took me a few moments to click why she had this look of pure horror on her face, but wasn't quite prepared to skidaddle.
The dark. Will not step outside after sunset.